A party we'll remember
by Valadilen
Summary: The Monroe Family fell and the Cristianos are quite a big deal in Ergastulum, again. When the young Loretta Cristiano organised her seventeeth birthday, she invites all her allies; including Alex Benedetto. The young woman is tasked with the simple mission to entertain the guests with her singing. Accompanying her to a party she won't forget: the (in)famous Handymen. [One-Shot.]


**" A party we'll remember"**

 **A one-shot fan-fiction**

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 _ **Dear readers :**_

 _ **Although this fan-fiction is not particulary graffic, it does come from a univers who talks about sensitive subjects; such as rape, prostitution, racism, gang and mafia, gory violence and drug use. If you are sensitive to these subject, I advise caution. If, however, you wish to read this small piece of work, I invite you to keep in mind the story's context described earlier.**_

 _ **Without further ado: enjoy yourself!**_

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For her seventeenth birthday, Miss Loretta Cristiano decided to organised one of the biggest party the city have ever known. Not everybody was invited, but it wouldn't surprise Alexandra "Alex" B. if half the city was present.

"Why would an ex-prostitute be at such party?" One might ask. Well… It largely depends of that lady's company and attitude. More or less saved by the strangest duet around, she stayed with them for multiple reasons; one of them not being able to remember where she came from. Worick A. and Nicolas B. were both good to her: taking care of her when she was having a bad time with drug withdrawal (every time it happened, she would curse the man who forced her to both take the drug and walk the streets for money); making sure she had some clothes on and food available in the fridge. In exchange, she answered the phone and cooked. Sometimes, Worick would send her way some small and easy jobs.

Anyway. Worick was a tall, strong man. He had long blond hair and a grin that could mean either "I enjoy your company" or "I want to fuck you" or "I want to kill you really bad» when it wasn't all three possibilities at the same time. It was always quite unsettling… His ability to remember everything he sees gave him some credit and the police often "asked" for his help. Side of that, his occupations were fulfilling jobs with Nicolas, sexually entertaining ladies and gentlemen for money, smoking and… sleeping? Alex was not entirely sure of what the man did with his free time. By the way, did he have "free time"?

Unlike his friend, Nicolas was not the friendliest man around. Not that he was mean: only rude. To be fair, he was a deaf twilight with a shady past. One cannot ask too much about social etiquette from him. Smaller than Alex, he looked asian, had a grumpy face most of the time but despite that was not ugly at all. When it mattered, Nicolas could show some sensitivity. However, Alex rarely saw this side of that particular silent and grouchy man. Speaking sign language, his voice –when he decided to use it— was rather strange to hear. Although, Alex did not find it unpleasant to the ear: unusual, definitely, but not uncomfortable.

Anyhow, the Benriya, Worick and Nicolas, were good "friends" with Miss Cristiano. As Alex understood it, they did a couple of important jobs for the young lady and kept a friendly yet professional relationship. Also, her establishments were the only ones were Nicolas could come in without being shunned or worst; as the Cristiano were known for they "twilight-friendly" policy. As "friends" to the Benriya, Lady Cristiano often invited Alex to sing at the Bastard in the "02 Street". A nice place, despite being a brothel. They were good music, good entertainments which was not only sexually related and the drinks weren't bad either.

For these many reasons, Alex was invited at the young lady's birthday, along with Nicolas and Worick.

The air was warm. Summer was not kind to the plants this year, but the weather could not be more pleasant; even at night. Alex walked behind her two friends as they arrived at the _Bastard_. She felt awkward. Miss Cristiano wanted a special birthday: long dress for the ladies, suits for the gentlemen. For the Benriya, suits were not exactly a problem: it was pretty much their uniforms. But Alex nether wore a long dress. Add to that the fact that she did not choose it, made it feel even more strange. Fortunately, Worick decided to keep his fantasy simple: the simplest long black cocktail dress with high heels. The dress, of course had a very revealing cleavage; Worick loved her breasts very much and she could not hide them even with a black turtleneck pullover on.

Anyway, walking with this dress needed practice she did not have; and having Worick as a personal glue jar did not help at all. At some point, Nicolas signed something and the two men went into a friendly/brotherly/not-so-serious argument. In the end, Alex entered the brothel before them.

Galahad was welcoming the guest at the door, in a perfectly tailored suit meant for service. Alex was actually pleased to see him: the man always was nice to her. There was something positive in his aura which made people feel better just by standing near him. A side effect from being a twilight? Unfortunately, there were no ways to know of sure. If it was, Nicolas did not have it. That was a certainty.

"Hi, Alex!" He said while checking her invitation. "How's our favourite singer doing?"

"Favourite?"

"We are hoping to hear you sing tonight!"

"Are we?" Alex asked, taken by surprise.

She turned towards Worick; who looked at her with his "oops, my bad" face.

"I may I forgot to tell you about that…" He said with an ear-to-ear smile across his stupid face.

After a heavy sigh, Alex thanked Galahad, promising to go speak with Miss Cristiano as soon as possible.

When the Monroe Family's fell into disgrace, the Cristiano Family rose in power once again. When it was about strategy, Miss Cristiano was always terrifyingly good. On another hand, she had motivations. Monroe did order the torture a good contact, Connie, to get under her best bodyguard's skin, Marco Adriano. The worst part was that it actually worked. Although the two lovebirds survived, the cost was great. And not only for them. The war did fell hard on every pro-twilight organisations, as well as the twilights themselves. The Benriya had a role in solving this mess, and managed God-only-knows-how to restore some sort of peace. Mainly by murdering most of Monroe's loyal lieutenants, Monroe himself and injuring to a life-time of infirmity anyone who went against the two "handymen". However, Twilights relied on medication to lived; and the until recently, the Monroe Family was the drugs' main components suppliers. Lady Cristiano managed to gain some of the Family's rival's contacts, but she still had to rebuilt the traffic from the ground up. It'll took time and resources. But most Twilights were confident the young lady would figure out a way: she always did.

Anyway, being back on track meant swimming in gold in the mafia world. For the birthday, Loretta Cristiano ordered that a bit of love was to be given to the _Bastard_. New paint, new decoration, new furniture, new equipment… The place was beautiful. The main room, where the bar and the stage were, was gorgeous. The guests were not bad either. The dresses and accessories were magnificent, the ladies wearing them were not ugly at all… most of them. However, the gentlemen were not bad either. Next to the guests, the Benriya looked kind of boring. Well… Worick was. To Alex, Nicolas will always be a source of fascination with a great deal of mix-feelings and questions.

"There you are!"

The voice who called for the trio was young, feminine and familiar. It belonged to the self-confident and commanding Loretta Cristiano who despite being seventeen was still smaller than Nicolas. It was amusing to see how little she changed: she was small, flat and commanding. Her blond hair was still long and carefully dressed on her head, her face was still perfect (she looked more adult, true, but not that much), her eyes were still blue and very much alive. For the occasion, she wore a long dress specially tailored for her. She was young, it was true. However, she had very good taste.

" _Isn't Nina taller than her now?_ " Nicolas signed.

"You do know that I understand your signing, right?" Miss Cristiano growled, more like a child than a woman.

He stuck his tongue out and shrugged, not caring much, as usual. Fortunately, anyone who knew the man a little bit learns quickly to ignore about this particular childish behaviour of his. Miss Cristiano took a moment to observe her guests with an expert eye. She smiled at Alex, then shoot the scariest look at the boys.

"You two could have made _some sort_ of efforts! You look boring as fuck!" She spat. Once, her men would have corrected her bad words in a submissive way. Now, they were too scared or too in love to do so.

Alex tried not to laugh when Nicolas stuck his tongue a bit more, looking as bored as ever; while Worick tried to tease the young lady in his usual "I'm looking for new clients" way. Both ended up on their knees, begging for forgiveness. Well… sort of. Worick was having a weird pleasure from his situation, but that was not surprising. As for Nicolas, the man was not giving a flying shit about it all.

"Someone gets me a drink!" Miss Cristiano shouted as she turned around to welcome to the other guests.

Once she was gone, the two men stood up.

"You two could have at least _try_ to have some manners." Alex muttered.

"Where is the fun in that?" Worick grinned. "I'll go get some drinks. You two behave yourselves."

Worick disappeared toward the bar. Something told Alex he won't be back soon, with so many young and beautiful ladies waiting for drinks. Without saying a word, Nicolas left; which did not surprise Alex one tiny bit: Nina was sitting with others of her age on the opposite side of the room, near the stage. Not having anything better to do, the Benriya's receptionist followed him. There were many guests already, but the room was not "crowded": the two could walk easily.

For some reasons, Alex stayed very closed to Nicolas. There was something about his steps that was fascinating: his shoulders moving, the muscle in his back lazily working, his nonchalant way to move… She also loved to watch his neck, to see how the metallic string of his dog tags moved at each step, at each movement. It was fascinating! However, any gentlemen or ladies with dog tags would initiate such amazement in the young woman's mind. Yet, Nicolas was the most fascinating of them all. Perhaps Nicolas was more entertaining because of the affection Alex had for him. Saving her many times when she was in desperate situations, helping him when he was not doing so great himself… And the fact that unlike Worick, he was never invading her personal space was strong argument. Sometimes, Alex wished he wasn't so distant…

"Hey girl!" Alex turned around to see a familiar smile. The woman was young and thin, with short brown hair… only one arm left. If Alex remembered correctly, she lost it when she was captured by a woman named Beretta. The Benriya's secretary did not have the full story, but she understood that Connie's survival was a _bloody_ miracle.

"How are you doing?"

Alex left Nicolas steps to get closer to Connie. The woman was very much pregnant now. Good for her! Marco must be please too. Some peace for the two of them: God knows they deserved it.

The two women were not close friends, but they enjoyed each other's company. Especially since Connie needed the Handymen more often due to her new physical situation: pregnant woman with only one arm selling weapons in the neutral quarter needed more help than most "normal" pregnant ladies.

"I must say, I enjoy the distraction." Connie said after exchanging with Alex the usual greeting dialogue. "It has been quite some times since my Marco and I could enjoy a party together with friends. Will you sing tonight?"

"Apparently. Worick "forgot" to tell me it was a condition for being invited."

Connie burst out laughing.

"Yeah, that does sound like him. Something tells me he wanted the drinks and the girls."

"Indeed. Look at him!"

Alex pointed the tall blond man at the bar. He was supposed to get them drinks but was obviously lost in one of the guest's cleavage. Unbelievable…

"Evening, Miss Benedetto."

It was Marco, polite as ever. Alex did not know him well: they never truly spoke; as Alex came to the shop to help Connie on behalf of the Benriya, or to the _Bastard_ to sing. When she did, Galahad was always there to make conversation and hand her pay. Marco always had something more important to do, ensuring Miss Cristiano's security was one of his most important duties. He had scars before saving his beloved; but now it was difficult to picture how he looked before he started to fight… If there was a "before" to speak of.

Alex greeted him. They exchanged some words, then Nina showed up. She wanted to say hello and dragged Nicolas along. At some point, a group conversation started. The festivities started after Miss Cristiano made a very good speech. Champagne was served with many delicacies, music was played on stage. Worick soon joined the group, an unknown young lady in his arms. He invited her to dance. Wanting to dance too, Nina force Nicolas, then had Marco to dance with her. "To force" is a verb used loosely here: they were both pleased to indulged her. However, Marco had to strike a bargain: he gives one dance to the young nurse and she let him spend the evening with his Lady. Lady who despite all her physical difficulties wanted to dance too. As for Nicolas, not being able to hear the music made the dancing a bit awkward. But Nina did not seem to mind; bless her kind, joyful soul and her golden heart… she was way too good for this city. Alex watched all this happening with a smile. Soon, she noticed Worick ditching the girl he found for another one. Then he creeped towards her for a dance. She had to keep his hands in check, but this moment was rather pleasant. Worick had many skills: dancing was definitely one of them. Heritage from his past, perhaps? No matter. Not long after their second dance, Galahad asked her to come with him: Miss Cristiano wanted to hear her voice.

Alex stood on the stage and the crowd greeted her with cheers and applause. "Alex Benedetto" was a well-known name here at the _Bastard_ as her voice made the clients dream many times. She wanted to keep it simple: starting with the public's favourite song, " _With You_ ", was the best way to thank them for the warm welcome. As expected, people loved it. One more song, a more dynamic one: the guests could dance on it. Marco and Connie did, and so did Worick who had to indulge Nina. One last. A calm one, like " _With You_ " but with more hints of sadness, " _You Looked Happier_ ". People danced on it too, but Alex could not stop noticing Nicolas. He was far away from the stage, at the bar. He was looking at her. With the lights on her she couldn't see clearly, but somehow knew he was reading her. It was how he "listened" to her when she could not sign. When he "listens" to Alex, Nicolas always had a small habit, one relatively odd for someone deaf as an anvil: he closed his eyes. Slowly… like a confident and relaxed cat. He was warming to Alex's existence, wasn't he? That thought made her smile and lifted a small weight off her heart. Was his affection so important to her? Apparently…

The song ended, Galahad left the piano to encourage the crowd to applause. It wasn't necessary: the guests and Miss Cristiano were extremely pleased. The girl even came up on stage to thank her personally. Was it political? Without a doubt. Many guests were from other Families and official representative of the city: Chad Adkins, high ranked member of Ergastulum Police Department, for example. Alex also spotted the Mayor's assistant somewhere around the _Bastard_ 's "entertainers". With any luck, no journalist will take pictures of him walking up to one of the bedrooms. However, despite showing up on stage to give the flowers, Miss Cristiano was truly thankful. Besides, Alex cared little about politics, as long as she was not walking the streets and that she had a roof other her head at night.

Many fans came to greet Alex back on the floor. Many kind words, many promises if she agreed to go out with them. She kindly declined all the offers. She exited the main room for some quiet. In the corridor leading to the backstage, she leaned against the wall for a moment. Singing on stage felt amazing, but it was exhausting. However, the public enjoyed itself, which made Alex happy too. The young woman walked toward the backstage room. Perhaps there was some girls she knew she could great. Nobody. No matter.

Alex was ready to get out when suddenly, she felt a hand on her buttocks. It wasn't Worick's. She jumped and slapped the man right in the face. The man was a glorious nobody: second hand suits, not-so-clean hair, shady eyes… A creep like there was so many in this city. At least he wasn't a Twilight. Either way, this place was off-limit: only the employees were allowed!

"I listened to you, you have such beautiful voice." He said.

"Get out!" Alex shouted. "Leave me alone!"

The man obviously had something wrong in his head. Confused or creepy? Alex could not tell, and she did not want to wait to figure it out.

She grabbed the door's handle: it won't budge. Great… Alex's heart started to race as her mind kindly reminded her what it meant; how it ended last time someone trapped her like this. There was the window, but it was too narrow for her… And probably locked too.

Alex rushed toward the extinguisher, grabbed it. It was heavy, but she knew how to use it.

"I just want a quiet moment with you." The man said with a soft and incredibly disturbing voice; as he was slowly walking towards her.

"I said: back off!" Alex shouted as loudly as possible.

She heard a noise. Outside. In the corridor. Suddenly, the door flew in pieces. A shadow grabbed the man by the collar and threw him against the window. The newcomer jumped and kicked the intruder, recessing the man's head through the window, glass shards flying around. The creep stopped moving, and Alex could finally recognise the shadow. In his dark suit, Nicolas was turning his back to her. He poked the dead man with his boot, shrugged, then turned around.

" _Are you okay?_ " He signed.

The twilight was not usually concerned about anyone welfare but Nina's. Not even Worick had this kind of friendly luxury. Before being able to answer, Alex looked around and checked her own body. She was not in pain, but her mind was not always sharp; thanks to her previous "boss'" sense of business. She nodded: a bit shaken, but everything was fine. Soon, Galahad and another Cristiano boy arrived with haste. The twilight only had to look at Alex' shaken stance to understand what happened. He apologised for the incident and ordered the subordinate to grab the man for "healing" ... Which in truth meant "questioning". The Cristiano Family hated party crashers and clients taking advantage of the clan's employees; no matter if these ones had a full-time or part-time job with them.

Following Nicolas, Alex tried to calm her poor heart. Many times, people have told her she was a brave woman. But after displaying any sort of courage, the young lady also felt a bit weak. Especially when Nicolas (or Worick for that matter) had to save the day. It took a moment for her to notice that Nicolas was not joining the festivities. He led her in the hall way, were guests were scarce. With the door closed, Alex could only hear the muffled sounds of the music and the people talking. Leaning against the wall, Nicolas looked at her from the corner of his eyes.

" _Are you okay?_ " He asked again, this time with his own voice.

It was always strange to hear his voice, but Alex learnt to enjoy it. It was part of his charm… If he had any. She nodded again. She was feeling better now that she was away from the creepy guy. In fact, Alex should be the one asking the question.

" _Are_ you _okay?_ " She tried to sign.

He looked at her hands a long moment. What was he thinking? What kind of thoughts were living in this man's brain? Nicolas raised his head to looked at her in the eyes. He looked bored, nostalgic. There was something on his mind and he was struggling to figure out a way to express it. It was not comforting, as things are always simple with Nicolas. He says things; whatever you can understand him or not was your problem, not his. He rose his hands, Alex looked at them carefully.

" _I wish I could hear._ " He said.

The woman looked at him, surprised. Slowly, she leaned against the wall, next to him. What was she supposed to reply? To her knowledge, he never made such a claim.

" _I "read" what you speak on stage. I understand you were singing. But I wish I could hear the melody._ " He continued.

Alex had to think a moment to translate his words correctly in her head. She nodded in comprehension. Nicolas was looking at her. What was he looking at? Her face? Her hands? Her breasts? No. Not her breasts. Like any man he his sensitive to them; but unlike Worick, Nicolas had some sort of decency. _Some sort_. "Decency" could not be used when describing the twilight's fighting style.

The woman started to hum a melody, wondering how she could answer to her friend. As she sang, she could feel the vibration of her voice in her palate, in her throat. Now that was an idea. Probably a very awkward one though… Putting as much softness in her moves and intention, Alex took Nicolas hand by the fingers; and lift it to her neck, while singing. He stared at her a long time. The awkwardness in the room could not be thicker. However, right before Alex could gave up, his hand found its own will. He fingers moved a bit, wondering, curious. The young lady kept singing and softer version of " _With Me_ ", which was quite the achievement. It was encouraging to see his eyes looking at her with a hint of interest; a feeling he would probably never admit having later. While his fingers were slowly exploring, Alex had a thought. She liked the proximity, the touch. It was rare that one touched her like that with no ideas in one's mind. It felt amazingly good… A bit awkward and arousing too. At some point, the song found its end; but Alex hummed the refrain. And when it met the expression "every good thing has an end", she remained quiet.

" _Did this help?'_ " She signed.

Nicolas did not answer. He simply leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek. The kiss was slow, the twilight lingered more than one would recommend for a "friendly" or "brotherly" mark of affection. When he pulled away, he kept his face close to hers for a moment, slowly going from her cheek to the corner of her mouth. Alex could feel his breath on her skin. To make sure this was not a dream, she wanted more. One more kiss. One more proof. One more moment when the time simply would stop. Nicolas lingered near the corner of her lips but did not dare doing any further. He pressed his forehead against hers half a second, then left the hallway to join the party.

He was smiling.

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